Wow, I've been really bad with updating this. And after only two chapters! Sorry, guys. School got really busy and then the holidays were here and bleh. Back now though, with a new chapter. Hope you like it.

Chapter 3: Enlisting

Lance Corporal Levi's words rang in her mind as Outsider—something she'd begun to call herself in her own mind—sat there, wondering what the hell she was doing, and how she'd managed to get herself into this mess.

"You can either willingly enlist in our military, or be taken against your will back to that cell."

It made her angry just thinking back on it. Erwin had said there was nothing he could do, that the council that ran things inside the walls had made the decision and there was nothing to be done about it. She could either prove herself to them by putting her life on the line to protect their citizens, or she could be left to rot in jail. She'd fought back as best she could—but in this instance 'fighting back' had been arguing over it with the Commander and the Corporal before Levi had told her to shut up and make her decision. Of course she'd chosen the one that involved her not rotting in a dark little room, but how much better was this?

Outsider shook her head, trying to clear it. It was no use looking back and feeling angry now. This was her situation. At least she wasn't dead…yet.

She was on her way now, in the back of a covered wagon in the middle of the night. She couldn't help but feel as if this whole thing was a little secretive. Before she'd been carted off, Erwin had even told her to keep her origins a secret. He didn't want the other recruits to know she was from outside the walls. The instructors would know—so they could keep an eye on her, no doubt—but everyone else was to remain in the dark. Outsider was fine with this, it would ensure she wasn't swamped by others with questions she couldn't answer. From what she understood, those in the survey corps were the only people to have ever seen the world outside the wall. A human living outside them was unheard of— she was the first that had ever been discovered alive. Not that she remembered any of that. She was just as clueless about the world as everyone else here was. Damn this amnesia.

In a short briefing session, she was told she was to become a part of the 104th trainee squad. They had already completed their first year in the program, so Outsider would be behind. Not like anyone cared. Apparently all the recruits were around her age, perhaps a year or two older, but not enough to make a real difference. That fact, at least, provided a little relief. Being around adults who didn't trust her was much more taxing than being around other kids who were curious about a stranger. And she was told they'd be curious—or rather, confused. It wasn't often a new recruit was brought in this late to training. She'd draw attention, many would have questions, but under no circumstance was she to speak of her true situation.

She repressed a groan as she thought about it. On top of everything else, she'd also be having to deal with grueling training sessions. Apparently, many of the recruits don't even make it through the trainee stage.

Outsider tried not to worry about that part of it too much though, ensuring herself in her mind that if she'd been able to make it without the protection of the walls, she must be pretty tough. No, the thing that would be hardest for her was going to be dealing with other people. She wasn't very practiced, and the instructors that knew the truth would most likely be suspicious of her. Erwin was the only one who believed her about all of this—and maybe Levi too, but she couldn't be sure. He was difficult to read.

Her ranting thoughts were cut short as the wagon came to a lurching halt, and Outsider braced her hands on the floor of the wagon to keep from toppling over. After a moment, the curtain covering the opening was lifted away, and Erwin appeared, gesturing for her to hop out. She did so, steadying herself before glancing around. They had stopped near what looked like cabins—the barracks. Outsider's eyes lingered on the dark windows, before the Commander drew her attention back.

"Remember; tell no one you come from outside the walls, or that you were made to enlist." The girl nodded, seeming a bit nervous now that they were actually here. Was this something she could actually pull off? She'd have to if she didn't want to be locked up for the rest of her life.

"And if your memory starts coming back, make an attempt to get in contact with either myself or Lance Corporal Levi. Do not relinquish such information to anyone but us. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

Erwin stared down at her for a moment, as if analyzing, before nodding his head and gesturing to someone behind her. "Good luck." He offered, before he made his way back to the front of the wagon.

She felt a hand on her shoulder from behind, and was soon being led to one of the cabins silently. She stared at each barrack as they went by, knowing in each there were groups of young people she'd be faced with in the morning. A flicker in one of the windows caught her eye, and her head snapped in that direction, but there was nothing there. As she was escorted past, she turned her eyes to the ground and shook her head a bit.

You're just tired, and freaked out. You did just wake up from a coma, and you have had a lot thrown at you. Just…calm down.

She talked herself down in her mind just as they reached the door to the cabin she was assigned to. The woman who had been guiding her gestured silently inside, indicating which bed was to be hers, and once Outsider was inside, the door was shut. She could hear the quiet breathing of the other girls as she crept her way to her bed. Making sure she'd found her way to the right one, and that it was in fact, empty, she all but collapsed into it. She set the little satchel of things she'd been given on the floor beside her—it contained her uniform, pajamas, and some general hygiene supplies.

She sank into the darkness of sleep soon after, not giving herself time to think of the others in the cabin with her. She just hoped she could get through this whole thing with her body—and her memory—intact.